


Everything's Eventual

by Bittersuitez



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, First Love, Jealousy, Love, M/M, Obsession, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating: M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26353840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bittersuitez/pseuds/Bittersuitez
Relationships: Harriet and Jessa





	Everything's Eventual

Harriet   
When she was born her parents were getting ready to retire. To say she was an unexpected addition to their family of four would be an understatement. Her sibling closest in age, a boy named James, was 10 years her senior. Her parents owned a small but thriving shipping company which aside from their children, was there pride and joy. Both their son James and daughter Emily, had major parts in the running of said company and they all functioned as a well oiled cohesive unit. By the time Harriet was five years old, she had travelled the world extensively, accompanying one or both parents on their business meetings in many different countries. 

When Harriet was 11 her sister Emily had given up on travelling, was married with 2 kids living an established life and managing the company’s head office. It was only logical to have Harriet move in with her, as Emily provided the stability Harriet had been missing. Having been homeschooled all her life, Emily decided it would be wise to introduce Harriet slowly to normal school life and didn’t actually let her begin attending school until she was 12 and Harriet could begin the new grade at the same time as her son, hoping the transition would be easier than having her start alone in the middle of the school year. 

A week after Harriet began attending school, the principal called her sister/guardian Emily in for a meeting concerning her progress. Apparently Harriets teachers all believed her knowledge to be significantly higher than the rest of the class’ and so felt as though she was not being challenged to her full potential. It was decided that Harriet would skip two grades, thus putting her in the same grade as George. This meant that Harriet was younger than most children in her grade and everyone knew it was because she was brilliant. Emily had to put forth a compelling case as for why Harriet shouldn’t be promoted to an even higher grade, but in the end, it was her inexperience on her peers’ social stage that won out. 

The principal was amazed when he met Harriet for the first time. She exuded the grace and social skills befitting someone four times her age and he felt the need to see her enjoy what were still her childhood years. When he was introduced to Harriet, she maintained steady eye contact, held her hand out for him to shake and inquired with sincere courtesy, 

“How do you do?”

She sat in her chair stiffly with her hands clasped in her lap and answered politely when spoken too. She didn’t fidget like other students had in his office and she was just so calm and collected he felt pity for the child who obviously was more grown than any pupil in the school. Principal Jordon loved his job, he loved the innocence of children whose minds could still be shaped to become citizens he could be proud of, but even he could see Harriet wasn’t much of a child, at least not in the common sense of the word.

As she left the office that day, she could feel the eyes of many regarding her with whispers and giggling but she kept her head straight as she walked alongside her sister. George was standing by the lockers with his friends whom he’d moved up into sixth grade with and he waved at her as she passed by. Harriet gave him a warm smile and as she turned her head away from him she locked eyes with an older girl walking toward her in the hallway. The girl had been laughing at something her friend had said but when she saw Harriet the laughter seized in her throat and she held Harriet’s smiling gaze until they’d passed each other by. Harriet didn’t turn her head but she could hear the girl’s friend clearly ask,

“Do you know her?”

And Harriet answered silently for her, no. 

************************************************  
On the day Harriet turned fourteen, her sister held a surprise party for her at their home. Her parents had come over and were staying for a few days. Her entire class was in attendance, as well as George and his friends. Harriet was on seemingly good terms with everyone. She always made sure to be polite to everyone at school, with one exception, and was therefore well-liked by many. She wasn’t quite the popular girl, but she had friends, two good ones in particular. And she had friends on the tennis club at school who she occasionally went to the movies and the mall with. Her two closest friends were Kate Gooding and Lisa Cromwell. 

The party was held in her sister’s backyard by the pool. It was a casual affair. Harriet wore her swimsuit under a big t-shirt. Her auburn hair was loose around her shoulders, for once out of its customary ponytail. She walked around the pool barefooted with Lisa towards the food table and listened while Lisa talked about how the boy she liked had been staring at her since he got there. The boy who was laughing and talking with his friends and didn’t seem at all interested in Lisa as far as Harriet could tell, but she was clueless when it came to that sort of thing. 

The table spread was a wide array of mismatched dishes. There was pizza, fries, fried chicken and mini burgers spread out between salads of different natures as well as shrimp cocktails. Today was her birthday and while Harriet was normally a healthy eater, she reached for the pizza with a smile on her face. As she took her first bite her gaze wondered and encountered that of Jessa Jordon, the exception to her politeness, across the table. The principals’ eldest daughter and sister of Jennifer Jordon, who was Harriet’s team mate and doubles partner in her tennis club. Jessa was seventeen, what was she doing here?

“What are you doing here?”

She didn’t mean to blurt that but as usual she seemed to lose her cool around Jessa. The bite of pizza she’d just taken fell out of her mouth onto the ground and Harriet was sure she heard it hit the floor even over all the noise. Jessa smirked at her.

“Well look at that, princess forgot her manners. Don’t speak with your mouth full Harriet.”

Jessa’s smug look irritated the heck out of Harry as usual, as well as her custom to call Harriet by her full name all the time, when everyone but her parents called her Harry.   
Jess continued,  
“I have to pick Jenny up, guess I’m early. Your sister said I could wait.”

Harriet didn’t really harbor dislike, as she never gave anyone that much consideration, anyone but Jessa. Jessa got under her skin like nobody else ever could. If Harriet could have known how much Jessa Jordon would affect her mental peace she never would have smiled at her all those years ago while leaving the principal’s office.

“Jessa! Jess I’m not ready to leave yet!” Jenny whined loudly from across the pool when she saw her sister, to which Jess responded with a wave.

Jessa barely looked at Harry and Lisa as she picked up a plate and started filling it with food.

“I’ll just get some of this and sit over there,” she gestured over her shoulder to some lounge chairs. “You won’t even know I’m here nerd”.

As she moved away Lisa breathe out all awestruck like. “She is so cool, I wish she was my sister”.

To which Harriet responded by looking at Lisa like she lost her mind, and muttered a disgruntled “Urgh!”

But it wasn’t lisa’s fault that she was also under the influence of Jessa’s cool-girl charms. After all, it was only Harriet who seemed to always be on the receiving end of taunts and snide remarks from the most popular girl in school. Every time their paths crossed, Jessa took the time to insult Harriet. Her clothes, her hair even her high IQ drew unpleasant comments from Jessa. ‘Did you raid your moms’ closet today bookworm?’ was hissed at Harry as she sat in the library in soft slacks and a polka dot blouse. ‘The 40’s called, they want that hairstyle back’ the time she blow-dried her hair and left it wild or the time Jessa overheard her tutoring a student in special ed program at school and exclaimed rather loudly in the common room  
“Why Harriet Lawd, you must be the smartest thing Davids ever met!”.

Harry and Lisa moved off to the opposite end of the pool where she struck up a conversation with George’s friend, a boy named Bobby who acted surprised and even blushed a little when Harry began speaking to him, not that she noticed. He couldn’t believe the untouchable princess (his private nickname for her) was speaking to him as if they were old friends, sure they talked before but always initiated by him and then she only answered his questions, never showing an inclination to want to talk more. This was his chance so he held on to it with both hands and tried to make her remember him next week by telling her all the jokes he could remember in the next twenty minutes and was gratified when he eventually made her laugh out loud.

It was six in the evening when Harriet’s parents called her inside so they could give her their presents. And it was about 10 minutes after they heard the commotion outside, followed by George running inside to tell them Bobby’s nose was bleeding. When they ran outside Bobby was sitting beside the pool next to Jessa. They were both soaking wet, only Jessa had her jeans and bra on and Bobby was in swim trunks holding his hand cupped around his bloody nose.

Emily asked what happened and George looked at her guiltily as he explained that he had pushed Bobby into the pool, not knowing Bobby couldn’t swim and Jessa jumped in to save him. Jessa had jumped in at the same place Bobby went under and it seemed as he was pushing off the bottom of the pool having touched his foot to it, Jessa was coming down on him and her foot struck his nose. She got him out of the water but his nose, which after being examined by Emily, seemed to be broken hence the gushing blood. 

Fred, Emily’s very tall husband took Bobby to the hospital while Emily made sure everyone called their ride to go home, as the party was brought to a somewhat premature end. Harriet was staring at Jessa but Jessa wouldn’t look at her. Eventually she moved closer and sat on the lounge chair next to Jessa.

She asked, “Are you okay?”

Jessa seemed to puff her chest up some and straightened her spine. 

“ Me?” She said it with an eyebrow arched as if asking if she was being insulted.  
“Of course I’m okay, my nose ain’t broke”.

Harry sighed, “Why do you insist on speaking like a thug?”

She looked at Harry and rolled her eyes.   
“ Harriet not everyone needs to sound right all the time”.

Harriet held her gaze for a moment then looked away. They sat in silence for a bit. Jess looked over to where her sister was waiting with her friend till her ride came because she didn’t want to leave her to wait on her own. She wouldn’t have been on her own. Jeez, 14 year olds. She glanced over at Harriet again. She was looking straight ahead and then she got up and walked away. Harriet wasn’t like them. Jessa looked at the water. 

**************************************************************************  
(age 16)  
Two summer vacations later, Harriet had her first boyfriend, Bobby, as it turned out he was very persistent. They were on their third date and she was worried she might have to kiss him. They were out together alone this time, without the customary bunch of friends. Bobby insisted. 

Both were standing in front of the entrance to the cinema when a group of boys wearing a rival schools’ football jackets recognized Bobby from their time on opposing sides of the field and keeping in the same vein of their adversarial relationship decided a little, or a lot of harassment was in order. The urge to get in Bobbys space only increased when they recognized the beauty he was with. 

“ Oye! Bobby Thomas is that you? How did you get the virgin to go out with you man?”

This was followed up with a hearty clap on Bobbys shoulder from a jock named Josh. The jock laughed a jocks laugh as his eyes stared indecently at Harry. His friends guffawed in the background. Bobby squared his shoulders and his jaw. He couldn’t look bad in front of her. 

Josh the jock slid in between Bobby and Harry and put his arm around her shoulders.  
He said,  
“Hello baby” Giving her a cheeky grin. 

Bobby clenched his jaw, he wanted to punch Josh’s lights out but he knew Harry didn’t like that sort of aggressive behavior. He told himself however, if Josh insulted Harry in some way he’d deck him for sure… only he didn’t understand that Harry was already offended.

“Are you having a good time with Bobby the birdy?”

Josh’s comment made his friends laugh again, Harry didn’t get the joke. Though she didn’t know, Bobby had a reputation for avoiding fights, not that he was afraid but he didn’t believe in throwing around his fist just to please a crowd, he had his words. But he got a cowards tag anyway, they just called him birdy instead of chicken.   
Harriet though, wasn’t in the habit of letting strangers touch her and so she shoved the jocks hand away saying in an icy tone,   
“Don’t touch me.”

And just like that Josh the handsome jock stopped laughing.

“Why? What’s the matter? Is a real mans touch too much for you? Bobby the birdy’s dick too soft?”

To which Harry replied,  
“The implication, not two minutes ago, was that I am a virgin, are you really so stupid you can’t keep up with yourself?”

Only one of Josh’s jock friends laughed, the others were silent, feeling the insult right along with their fearless leader.   
Josh wasn’t above hitting a girl but something in her eyes assured him he wouldn’t get away with plain out striking Harry, so he grabbed her wrist instead and twisted it, squeezing hard.

“Who’s stupid?” he snarled up close to her face.

Harriet winced silently but gave no (voice) further reaction to the pain she was feeling.

“Let her go ,” Bobby said, “now Josh”. 

“Or what Birdy?”

But before Bobby could answer a hand flashed past his face and jabbed Josh in the throat. He was hit so hard he fell to the ground clutching his neck, struggling for breath. Jessa stepped closer and kicked him hard in the stomach. When his hand reached down to grab his stomach in hope of easing the pain, Jessa stepped on it, pinning it to the ground with her three inch heels. 

“If you ever touch her again I promise, you will lose this,” she said as she ground her heel into his hand, “Do you understand me?”

Josh was still struggling to breath so when he took too long to squeeze out a yes, Jessa grinded down on his hand some more, to which he screamed out,  
“Aaargh! Yeaargh! Yesyes!”

His squealing drew the attention of even more onlookers. It’s not everyday people get to see a fiery red head dressed in heels and a skirt so short, kick a man’s ass so yes, people were watching. Being stared at wasn’t something that appealed to Harry so when Jess reached for her hand and said 

“I’m taking you home”, 

She didn’t respond, just took the offered hand and walked off, leaving Bobby with his mouth open and some handsome guy she didn’t know shouting Jessa’s name. Jessa seemed not to hear, though she obviously could, so Harry followed her lead and kept her head straight as they headed to the parking lot. 

That night on the way home Jessa and Harry talked and when they got to Harrys house they stayed in the car and talked some more. Jessa told Harry that she was going away to college/university when the summer vacation was over and Harriet told Jess that she too was going away to college but at the beginning of the following year, on account of her being so brilliant and all. Jessa was going to Berkerly university. Harriet didn’t know where she was going as yet but wherever she ended up would be her choice, anywhere would have her, on account of “My brilliance and all”. Jessa laughed at that and joked about maybe someday having to work for “Boss Harriet” who would be younger than her.

It was the first somewhat normal conversation they'd ever had. 

That summer Harriet did kiss Bobby but that’s as far as that went. She saw Jessa more but they never spoke again like they did that night in Jessa’s car. Yet Harriet admitted to herself that she didn’t hate Jessa, and whenever they were at the same place Harriet felt just that much safer for knowing Jessa was there too. 

The summer ended and Harriet saw Jessa one last time before she left for Berkerly. She was walking on the sidewalk on her way to the café with Kate and Lisa when a car stopped alongside them and Jessa jumped out, ran up to Harry and promptly hugged her. A hard squeeze of a hug that ended quickly with the words “Take care of you”, whispered in Harry’s ear and when Jessa left Harriet was holding a small book she didn’t have before.

******************************************************************8  
(24)  
Bobby was persistent and began asked Harriet to be his date once a week six weeks before the prom (even though she said yes the first time), she agreed because she could think of no reason not to. Harry didn’t really want to attend but her family was making a such a big deal of hers’ and Georges graduation that she never truly entertained that she had an option to not go. 

They both went, Harriet wasn’t prom queen, and she didn’t care. She made out with Bobby for the 10 mins she allotted when she realized he was expecting that as part of the evening (Lisa and kate informed her) then she asked to be taken home. Bobby was annoyed, Harry could tell, but he was too mannerly to say otherwise, and had her home by 10. George came home at 4 the next morning, intoxicated and grinning with hickeys visible all over his neck. 

Harriet gave up her virginity at a college party where she happened to have had her first taste of tequila, to Bobby who was as usual being extra attentive and ever present. She was 20 and had the evening planned up till the point where Bobby dropped her back off at the flat she shared with her roommate. She was not intoxicated but the tequila definitely helped relax her enough to do what she planned.

She cried the morning after because she wanted to be impressed, she wanted the wait that she forced on him to end in something spectacular for them both, but it hurt and that was all she remembered about it for a long time after. Until about two months later when she let him do it again, then and all the times after, it was easier. 

She accepted Bobbys’ marriage proposal on the day she graduated from college. She figured hers was never meant to be a life of burning passion but she was in love and it was good enough. They got married when she was 22 and he was 25. Harry had passed the bar exam that same year and immediately went to work in her parents company alongside her sister. Bobby was beginning his final year at a teachers college. He always wanted to be a teacher, unlike Harry, who just worked at achieving something worthwhile that could be of help in her family’s company. 

Harry was 24 and 3 months pregnant when both her parents died after their private plane crashed attempting to land in a storm. Her father and mother were then 78 and 70 respectively. She was surprised to see Jessa at the funeral. She was surprised when Jessa walked up and hugged her, as if they were old friends. She thought about the book of poems Jessa had given her years ago that was always in her purse and decided, maybe they were. 

Two months after the funeral she was shopping with Bobby for baby things when she saw Jessa and stopped to talk to her as Bobby had moved a little ways away to take a call on his cellular. They hadn’t finished exchanging pleasantries before Bobby came up and grabbed her hand, attempting to drag her off without a word. She resisted with a small laugh but he tugged harder on her wrist saying,  
“Come on, I don’t have time for this”. 

Harriet was appalled at his rudeness and opened her mouth to say so but not before he jerked harder forcing her to stumble after him. Harry cried out as she tripped and fell, just barely managing to brace her stomach from hitting the floor. Bobby turned back then but only to attempt to drag her up in his haste to continue out the store. Harry watched as if time had slowed as Jessa’s glare narrowed onto the back of Bobbys head and heard her shout,

“Bobby!”,

To which he stopped and looked up just in time to see Jessa’s fist flying at his face. He let go of her then, as he hit the floor and both hands flew to his nose which was bleeding profusely by the time he sat up, still on the ground. Harriet stood stiffly as she looked from the shocked and angry expression on her husbands’ face to the angry and smug/gleeful one on Jessas’.  
Then Jessa seemed to remember herself and didn’t even look at Harry as she calmly strolled off.

After that incident Harry began to notice her husband or began to notice that she never really paid attention to his life since they got married. To her marriage was an ending of sorts, she gave him what he wanted and she thought that was that. But now she could see that their relationship was lacking in the fine tuning of any real commitment. She was always occupied with work and she knew he was as well, but he was a teacher, his was a solid 9 to 5 job but he was rarely at home when she was and she travelled a lot for her job so 75% of the time she didn’t actually know what was going on in his life. That couldn’t be how normal relationships functioned. 

They stopped having sex after she found out she was pregnant. Harriet just didn’t think it was needed and counted it as a chore she escaped with pregnancy. He stopped asking after the third month. He never really pressured her even though she could tell it annoyed him. They always had separate bedrooms from ever since as Harry preferred it that way and after that first and only time he brought it up, Bobby never tried to change her mind. There were nights that they fell asleep together but those nights were few and far between and always because Harry didn’t notice as Bobby fell asleep and Harry didn’t want to wake him. He never objected their sleeping arrangements as he accepted Harry needing her space. But now Harry was beginning to suspect that perhaps that was for another reason.

While Bobby was always a gentleman to her, or had been, she knew now that theirs wasn’t a great love. He wasn’t passionate about her and neither was she about him, at least not in the way one expected of great loves. In the beginning she had felt treasured, but now looking back Harry could see that’s exactly how he treated her, like a captured treasure on a shelf. A treasure to be dusted, polished, shined and replaced with care, less it broke or rolled away and got lost. Bobby treated her as one would a prize hard won.

After the incident at the baby store however, he became almost disdainful of her and yet possessive. He wanted to know her schedule weekly and anytime she deviated, he asked for an explanation. On one such occasion Harry accepted a late dinner invitation from George, and Bobby turned up at the restaurant midway through their meal. 

George had only that day returned from business abroad and had news he wanted to share with Harry whom he considered a true friend even more so than her being his cousin. Bobby apparently didn’t recognize George at first (mostly because he didn’t spare him a glance) and marching up to their table, deliberately knocked over Harriets glass of wine (her first and only since finding out she was pregnant). He then reminded her that she was pregnant in an accusatory tone, loudly enough to be heard by several other tables, as if she didn’t know the state of her own womb.

Harriet, never being one for drama, pushed her chair back and stood immediately, to which Bobby responded with a grunted

“Come on, you’re leaving” 

And made to grab her by the hand. Harry snatched her hand back from his grasp and took a step back, looking at him in an appalled and stunned manner. By now George was also standing and wore an expression of shock that quickly morphed into anger as Bobby again tried to seize Harrys wrist. 

Goerge spun Bobby around to face him with a hand on his shoulder and was about to demand an explanation when Bobby swung at him, connecting squarely with Georges right eye. George went down, falling backwards over his chair. 

And then Jessa was there, as Bobby turned back to grasp at Harry, Jessa came out of seemingly nowhere and placed her body in front of Harry. Jessa’s fist to Bobbys nose was as much of a surprise as his had been to Georges’ eye. He fell hard onto a nearby table and rolled onto the floor, out cold. Jessa then helped George up and together the three of them left the restaurant. She drove them both to Harrys’ sisters’ house in her own car and left them there without a word, driving off as soon as Georges’ father received them at the door with worry in his eyes. 

*******************************************************  
Two weeks later, Jessa and Harry met by chance at the courthouse and stopped to have the awkward conversation about Harry’s love-life and why Jessa seemed to be always in time to break its nose. It turned out that Jessa had entered the restaurant with her date right after Bobby. 

They talked their way to a nearby coffee shop where they sat and conversed for almost two hours. Harry told Jessa she didn’t need saving and to maybe refrain from her violent tendencies and Jessa told Harriet to stop being a pushover. Harry’s phone rang seven times and she didn’t answer. Jessa did not express curiosity as to why Harry didn’t take the calls and when they got up and left the café, any repressed curiosity she might have harbored was answered as Bobby jumped out of his car parked across the street, rapidly approaching Harry, once again with seeming tunnel vision. 

He grabbed her arm as Jessa mumbled under her breath, “ Not this again” . 

Bobby asked aggressively as he shook Harrys arm, “Why didn’t you answer my call? I know you have your phone, the GPS is on.”

“Stop this Bobby, stop this right now”, Harry said, trying for a controlled and firm tone.

“Why are you avoiding me? When are you coming home?” Bobbys voice was rising.

Jessas’ eyebrows rose as she looked at Harriets reddening face. Harry hadn’t said anything about being separated from Bobby.

“I need some time Bobby, you’re making this hard”.

Bobby gave a bark of laughter,   
“Me! I am making this hard?! I am your husband and you are my wife. You are supposed to be with me, where ever I am.” 

“Bobby stop this. I will call you when I get to my sisters house and we’ll talk then”.

“No, you are coming home with me, now”, and he started to pull her along to the car, “Come on!”

“No! No I’m not going anywhere with you! You’re behaving like a crazy person!”

“Isn’t that what you want! You want someone who loves you more than you do them, don’t you Harry? Don’t you?! Because you’re incapable of it yourself! You want someone to show you what love fees like, don’t you?! But you can’t handle my love, that’s why I had to have other women. Well this is it Harriet, I fucking love you and you’re staying with me!”

harry was losing her usual poise and could see there would be no reasoning with Bobby. When she looked around at Jessa this time, it was her pleading, almost desperate eyes that launched Jessa into action. 

Jessa grabbed at Bobby hands on Harry and tried to tug them off, but this time Bobby was ready and she was backhanded for her effort. Jessa spun with the force of the blow and fell to the ground. She was back up and seeing red in under two seconds.

Cars were stopping as Bobby pulled a struggling Harry into the street, making for his vehicle. Jessa grabbed Harrys other arm and yanked hard, pulling her out of his grip and in one fluid motion, placing Harry behind her and as Bobby rushed at her, she raised her foot in a high kick to his face. 

He practically ran face first into the bottom of Jessas booted foot. Everyone within five feet heard the crack as Bobbys nose broke once again. He lurched back clutching his nose and then looked at Jessa with palpable hatred. She could see the moment he made the decision to come at her again and she was ready. This time it was a fight. She was angry and he was raving mad. He got in at least two solid punches to her ribs before she had him on the ground with her legs wrapped around his neck. Harry was screaming for help. When two men from inside the cafe finally came to assist, Bobby was unconscious and near to death before they could get Jessa off. 

Jessa was now 26, 5’5 tall, 120lbs of mostly muscle, long haired, blue eyed, beautiful and everyone who knew her knew she loved to fight. She taught herself to fight from being the smallest tomboy on her block to being that girl who broke the noses of the boys who got too close without permission in high school. What most people didn’t know was that she was the number one student of the crav maga dojo located close to her campus for the three years she was studying architecture (7 yrs) at Berkerly. She could have killed him. But for Jessa, the most important thing she learned at the dojo was restraint. Some might disagree but other than breaking Harrys husbands nose ever so often, she hadn’t fought anyone outside a gym in over four years (an ex who didn’t want to let go). 

Restraint wasn’t very present in her teenage years, but once she started learning in the dojo she recognized that control was given away every time she reacted with angry aggression, so she learnt restraint. But there was just something about Bobby that Jessa never liked, never. Not considering that the first time he ever was noticed on her radar was when he began following Harry around like a love sick lunatic. 

**********************************************************************  
In the aftermath, as they all sat in the uncomfortable plastic chairs waiting for the police officer to deal with their case, Harriet reflected that perhaps she didn’t know her husband at all. She refuse to look at him and as for Jessa, well she couldn’t begin to imagine what Jessa was thinking. But she did look over at Jessa’s face and was not totally surprised at the smug smile she saw ton her bloody lips. If Harriet was being honest, smug looked good on Jessa. 

As soon as the thought formed in her mind though, she suddenly shook her head. The almost involuntary action caused both Jessa and Bobby to look over at her. Refusing to make eye contact with either of them, Harry thrust her chin in the ear and soundlessly reminded herself of her situation. When the police officers arrived on the scene they had immediately placed handcuffs on Bobby. She and Jessa were put into a separate car from Bobby and were only reunited about an hour later on opposite sides in this waiting room. 

Harry refused the offer to press charges against Bobby, he was the father of her child and she couldn’t help but think of the possibility of her familys’ name being dragged through the tabloids. Jessa however, had no such scruples and did indeed press charges. Bobby law enforcement family ties saw to it that he was granted bail in the time it took to process the charges. 

An officer came into the room and addressed Harriet first. Telling her in not so hushed tones of the number to call to report domestic violence and giving her a restraining order form “just in case” she changed her mind later on. She accepted the papers and left the room without looking back, her spine just a tad straighter that usual. 

When Jessa exited the building, it was to find Harriet waiting at the curb with her family’s town car. The driver took them both back to coffee shop so Jessa could pickup her own car. But when she got out to leave, Harry followed. Dismissing her driver, she turned to Jessa and arched a brow. 

Jessa stood on the pavement looking at Harriet and Harriet stood there looking back. For what seemed like a full minute they stood gazing at each other, until Harriet felt her face break into a smile. A smile that turned into a grin as Jessa burst out laughing. And when it seemed like Jessa would fall over from laughing Harry moved closer to put a steadying hand on her shoulder. 

That’s when she realized that she herself was shaking. And then she began to cry.


End file.
